Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have long been recognized as having beneficial effects on health. The primary source for nutritional supplements is oil from fish species that have high concentrations of PUFA, such as anchovy, sardine, salmon, menhaden, herring, and tuna. However, lack of reliability of sources, and variability in the quality and/or quantity of PUFA isolated from fish mean there remains a need for alternative sources of PUFA.
Thraustochytrids are aquatic, eukaryotic microorganisms with the capacity to produce useful products, including PUFA and antioxidants (Carmona et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 67(4): 884-888, 2003). These organisms are found worldwide in oceans and estuaries. Thraustochytrids are able to use a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources for growth, indicating a potential for industrial cultivation with inexpensive nutrients.